South Sudan general summoned over child soldiers recruitment

Army spokesman, Colonel Philip Aguer, said in a statement on Tuesday that Major General Johnson Olony, who commands Shilluk militia in the northern state of Upper Nile, has “been ordered to report to SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) headquarters for a briefing on the matter.”

He added, “We firmly believe that our army must be strong and disciplined and our children need to be healthy and educated.”

On February 21, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said at least 89 boys had been seized as they took exams by members of Shilluk militia group in the Wau Shilluk area of Upper Nile.

Human Rights Watch says South Sudanese government forces and rebels have been “actively recruiting” children as young as 13 to fight in the ongoing war between the two sides.

The HRW said in a report published on February 16 that both sides had committed a war crime.

“Despite renewed promises by both government and opposition forces that they will stop using child soldiers, both sides continue to recruit and use children in combat,” said Daniel Bekele, the HRW’s Africa director.

Armed groups in South Sudan have recruited some 12,000 children as soldiers over the past year, UNICEF says.

South Sudan plunged into chaos in December 2013, when fighting erupted between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and defectors led by his former deputy, Riek Machar, around the capital, Juba. The clashes left tens of thousands of people dead, and forced almost two million people from their homes.

On January 21, the president and the rebel leader, signed a pact in the northern Tanzanian city of Arusha to end the hostilities in the country.

South Sudan gained independence in July 2011 after its people overwhelmingly voted in a referendum for a split from Sudan.